The Bands

Aviso'Hara 2006 Court Tavern New Brunswick, NJ - photo by Chris Poppe

To many bands not enough time:
The full story is still cloudy and probably still only clear to me but part of the greatest joy in life has been able to have played and made so much noise with my musically minded friends over the years. It’s what connected us and made us friends. Since the early days in high-school till recent years. I still love the thrill of the chord whether acoustic or electric it does not matter to me. Music lasts and is like the drug that keeps giving which is one of reason RS exists at all. I love listening and thinking about music too as a fan or making it when I can. All the bands I’ve played with were all different because my taste is all over the place. I was always bringing in different things from syncopated jazz rhythms to various flavors of distortions either on bass or guitar. I hated what I called the Boston school of pedals but that’s a different story.

Eastern Anchors | Band Camp (2006-Present) I used to play Guitar in this. I left for a bit and now back I’m playing Bass as a trio. New record out now called Drunken Arts and Pure Science on Viva! La Hara Records. [Band website]

The Slow Wire (2002-Present) | Really just a dusty a bin of demos again. Like this recent video I did for a song called VIDEO: Robot Head. Sure was great though having my own band for awhile. (see below)Aviso’Hara (94-2004- 2006 reunion) free aviso tracks on last.fm. Viva La Hara!Suran Song in Stag (94) – art rockBubblegum Thunder (94-95) – sludge rockMr.Thumb (88-93) grunge-prog before it was cool.Psychic Fair (86-87) Punk rock with a bauhaus feel
Imaginary Boys (87-88) Alt rock that sounded like The SmithsThe Leisure Set / The Unemployed (86′) alternative to the alternative

Video / random discography tracks:

Aviso’Hara broke up in at The Side Bar in Baltimore like 2002 then like an old girlfriend got together more times than we care to count. The last time we played was with Ken from the Eastern Anchors playing drums the Cruel But Fair documentary filming in Nov 2009. Our chapter should be called Drunk boys on film.

Aviso Hara Hit Factory 1998

Red Five (Standing by) [Hit Factory version MP3 (1998). Recorded by my Friend Tony Black along with a bunch of other songs at The Hit Factory on 54th street. We recorded this song 3 times. Great song by Walter. Deep Elm wanted an exclusive with our original version for their Emo diaries. We went for the gold on our own. In retrospect we should have let them had them have it because we later re-released it as just “Standing By” — Such Dummies.

Crossed Wires (2002) solo project called The Slow Wire. This is from the debut Analog.Living on AmbigiousCity! Records out of Baltimore. Then recorded a Follow up called The Golden Age of Treason. Which you can downoad from the last.fm. I may move it all over to headphonemusic.bandcamp.com just need to burn shit in quality like the kids are doing these days.

Twilight 20’s MP3 (2001) by Aviso’Hara from Our Lady of the Highway. This is the opening track from this record. You’d think we’d run out of energy. The footage was randomly cobbled together to show you the chaos that truly was Aviso! Recorded at the pigeon club in Hoboken, NJ w/ Wayne Dorrell.

Aviso' Hara WeFest_2001

Ready MP3 (1999) By Aviso’Hara from the album goodnight sweetheart recorded by Chris Gobo Pierce from Doc Hopper at his studio Technical Ecstasy.

Conspiracy Au Go Go MP3 (1997) by Aviso’Hara originally released on a 7″ ep called Mature & Unsatisfied on Vital Cog Records we would later release it on Made from Scratch on Power Bunny 4×4 Records. Probably one of most request songs next to the cover of Shout at the Devil or most played track according to last.fm is our cover of “Raspberry Beret” by Prince. Get that here. It’s a punk classic.

Pretty Low Guy MP3 (1996) by Aviso from debut 7″ on Alien Records later re-leased on Made from Scratch.

Bubblegum Thunder Lounge AX Chicago

Ghost Town(1994) MP3 by Bubblegum Thunder(Story) recorded by Steve Albini in Chicago. Get some free Thunder on Last.fm. This band was short lived buy toured a bunch and put a few 7″s and recorded a full length. at first they were just tuned down 2 guitars and drums. Then they added me on bass to round out the sound tuned downed to E Flat of course for that extra heavy sound. Joseph the main singer/guitarist did a open G or something where he just had to throw a finger across for a bar chord. If you like the Cows you’ll dig this.Get some here and here.

Fuquan MP3 by Suran Song in Stag. From Kitra Vol 2 New Brunswick Compilation put out by Jeff Scavone on Power Bunny 4×4. Recorded by Claude Coleman Jr from Ween at Stonybrook Studios in Hopewell, NJ. Tracks from sessions would later be remixed and put out on Suran’s debut full-length called Shiny Objects.

Mr.Thumb @ The Roxy New Brunswick, NJ 1992

Flowers are not Evil MP3 (1989-1993) by Mr. Thumb. Recorded by Steve Evetts & Eric Rachel in South River, NJ. This is close to what started my 20’s. There were three other bands before this one. Don’t ask me how the jump from crazy prog funk grunge to the next one below but it happened after I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1990 on their first tour pre love sex magik with John Frusciante when he was 19 years old and during that whole Jane’s Addiction thing (saw them a bunch too)

The Imaginary Boys (1988 mostly) (I’ll have to update with some tunes) but before I went to Rutgers I did a spell at UCC for a few years and got a degree in Television Production/communications. I somehow ended up playing with these guys. This guy Alex was really inspired by Johnny Marr and even played a Vox guitar and worked at Macys. He was a really good songwriter. We recorded a EP of songs at Mix-o-lydian and they eventually put it out as a 7″. Which I’ll post as I happened to come across it one day at vintage vinyl in Ford NJ

Psychic Fair 1987 Westfield, Highschool

Psychic Fair (GET SOME FREE TRACKS ON LAST FM) – I put this band together after TLS broke-up. Featured John Payne on Drums, and my friends Ed Keenan (guitar) and Bill Cort (Vocals) and me on bass. We still talk about this band all the time because most of our social life centered around it. It still does in some ways…

The Leisure Set (GET SOME FREE TRACKS ON LAST FM) TLS – Was my first real highschool band. We were called The Unemployed for one or two shows where we got to play w/ Das Damen(SST records and the Whirling Dervishes. Featured: Dave Gaut(Vocals/Guitar), Chris Johnson (Guitar/Vocals, John Payne (drums) / Jeff Smith (drums) and me on bass.
Anyway. That’s about it.